What Friends Are For
by roothlace
Summary: James Olsen did the right thing, he always had... lately though it was becoming harder
_Supergirl_ doesn't belong to me

 **What Friends Are For**

James sat in a booth at his favourite café and took a sip of from his cup. He had needed a quiet place to think; away from the office and his apartment.

"Thanks for pushing me to do the right thing," Kara smiled at him, as she sat down next to him.

He should have known that Kara would find him James thought to himself as busied himself with his bag, "it was more like a nudge and anyway you always do the right thing."

Kara shrugged. "I try but generally I succeed because of you."

"That's what friends are for, right?"

"Right."

James stopped fiddling with his bag and stared at Kara.

Earlier, when he'd heard about Maxwell Lord's return to the land of the living he'd planned what he'd say to Kara when he saw her next; he'd tell her that he'd lied to Lucy which he absolutely hated and that not only had he lied but that he'd been caught in the lie which was worse and that Lucy suspected that he and Supergirl were close. He would explain to Kara that he needed to tell his girlfriend the truth, certainly, if he expected their relationship to continue, and he'd leave as quickly as he could because it was becoming harder and harder to be alone with Kara and not let his feelings for her slip. What was wrong with him? He was a grown man and she was Clark's cousin, a superhero… and the woman he loved with every fibre of his being. Which is why he had to leave as soon he'd talked to her.

Instead of doing that, instead of having that talk with Kara, he found himself asking, "are you sure you're fine? You seem to be dealing with something."

Kara shook her head and smiled sadly at him. James knew her well, perhaps too well. "I met one of the Fort R'ozz prisoners today."

"And?"

She fiddled with her glasses. "It was strange… he's the first prisoner I've ever met who didn't hate me or my mother."

"Isn't that a good thing?"

"It is," she smiled, "it actually is, he's a professor at the University, teaching students about the stars."

"Seems like he's on the right path."

"That's what I thought as well," Kara replied, "so I told Director Henshaw that he didn't deserve to be kept prisoner and we let him go back to his life."

"That's great," James smiled at her.

She nodded and stared at the table.

"Kara, what is it?"

"Nothing."

"Kara."

"You know my aunt Astra," Kara said finally.

"Yes," James knew pretty much everything about Kara's family especially her aunt and uncle who wanted her dead.

"She died."

That he hadn't known. "When? How?"

Kara shook her head; she couldn't tell him details about DEO operations. "Doesn't matter, what really does is that Hank Henshaw killed her."

"I'm sure he had no choice."

Kara looked at James. "He had a choice; everyone always has a choice especially when it comes to taking a life."

"I'm so sorry Kara."

"She was my family," Kara began to cry and James moved closed and pulled her into his arms, "the only real family I had left and he took her from me."

He held her until she stopped crying. "I'm sorry," she said, as she pulled back. "Didn't mean to cry all over you."

"It's alright," he smiled softly, "glad I was here for you."

"You know what I've realised James," Kara said, "you're always there when I need you."

"Like I said," he sat back and nodded, "that's what friends are for."

"Friends, right," she forced a smile. "Can I tell you something?"

"Of course."

"I don't know how I'm supposed to continue working with Director Henshaw; I don't think I can bear to see him every day, much less take orders from him."

"Have you tried to understand why he killed her?"

"I'm sure he'll say something about her trying to kill me or something to that effect," Kara said, "I really can't listen to anything he has to say especially about my family."

James could understand where she was coming from. "Kara," he told her gently, "I get that Astra was your aunt and the last surviving member of your family, a person you loved, but I can't in all honesty say I wouldn't do what he did."

"You'd kill Astra?"

"If it was a choice between saving you and killing her," he told her sincerely, "they'd be no choice in my mind."

Kara took in his words and then reached out and took his hand in hers. "Thank you James."

He swallowed and nodded. He was done for, _I should have left when I had the chance, should have brought up Lucy at the very least,_ he thought to himself, instead, like the coward and glutton for punishment that he was, he put his other hand over their joined ones and asked, "you up for a walk?"

"Yes, please."

They stood up and slowly walked out of the café.

000


End file.
